Postpartum Depression

What is Postpartum Depression?

It can be physically and emotionally challenging when you bring a new baby into your family. Sadness, stress, anxiety, mood swings, loneliness, tiredness, and weepiness (otherwise known as the “baby blues”) are common in women following the birth of a child. Baby blues typically goes away soon after birth all on its own. But sometimes you may experience more serious mental health challenges following the birth of your child; challenges that do not go away in the days, weeks or months after delivering a baby.

Postpartum depression (PPD) is depression that may start during pregnancy or at any time up to a year after the birth of a child. Depression is a mental illness that affects a person’s mood; the way someone feels about themselves, how they relate to others, and how they interact with the world around them. PPD affects a woman’s daily functioning, making it hard to take care of herself or her new baby.

PPD affects both women and men; although it is more commonly reported in women who are also new mothers. However, PPD affects people from many different walks of life, regardless of the ease or difficulty of the pregnancy, whether they are a first-time parent or have other children, whether they are married or not, and regardless of socioeconomic status, education, and cultural background.

Symptoms

The symptoms of PPD are quite similar to those of depression, and include:

Pervasive sadness

Feelings of worthlessness

Guilt

Anxiety

Irritability

Anger

Loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities

Social isolation

Difficulty concentrating and remembering

Changes in sleeping and eating patterns

However, with PPD, you may also experience disinterest in your baby, fear of not being a good parent, and fear of being left alone with your baby. In severe cases, parents may have thoughts of harming themselves or their child, and should seek immediate help.

Treatment

Like depression, PPD does not go away on its own. It is, however, treatable with the right treatment. With the help of a mental health professional who is specifically trained to support parents with postpartum depression, you can get back to enjoying your new baby, build confidence in yourself as a new parent, and regain quality of life. Contact us to find a mental health professional that meets your needs.